Favoritism
by thelittleturtleduck
Summary: A dinner on Air Temple Island takes a turn for the worse as the elephant in the room is addressed.


A/N: I just wanted to do an angst filled Kataang family piece. Before people start saying it, I know Bumi is being a bit irrational in this oneshot. He's thirteen years old here though, and when I was thirteen I certainly was irrational and made arguments over every little thing. Despite the fact we have been told Bumi is very eccentric, I still believe that when he was a child, it was inevitable that he had some trouble grasping how different he was from his immediate family. So, yes the argument in this story escalates quickly, but I think that's because I imagine Bumi having Katara's straight forward argumentative personality when it comes to arguments.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or "The Legend of Korra".

* * *

"Well of course he's not in trouble, he never gets in trouble," Bumi snappily fumed as he crossed his arms firmly over his chest, grey eyes darkening with frustration as he glared at his younger brother across the table from him. The teenage boy stood tall as the occupants of the table watched him pensively.

"Bumi!" His mother reprimanded him firmly from her place next to Tenzin, cerulean eyes blazing with anger at her son's behavior, "Do not place all the blame on him!"

"Well everyone does it to me!"

It had been a peaceful dinner on Air Temple Island with the Avatar and his family, all settling down on their velvet cushions as their stomachs growled in anticipation for the meal that would soon be served. They ate quietly until Katara had mentioned that the Acolytes had been complaining about pranks all week long, and were linking it right back to her son, Bumi.

Bumi had retaliated that during some of those pranks, Tenzin had been present and had done nothing to stop him. In fact, when they had thrown fruit pies at the unsuspecting Acolytes, Tenzin had grudgingly thrown a few as well. Of course, Bumi had threatened him to do so or else he would tell their parents about his crush on Lin, but still he was a part of the prank and a few of the others.

"Son," Avatar Aang remarked quietly from the end of the table where he sat across from his wife, robes the color of autumn ruffling slightly as he brought a hand up to wipe across his face in slight exasperation, "We aren't blaming you, specifically. We are just asking whether you did it or not."

"No."

His father sighed deeply, returning his pale, tattooed hand to rest on top of the wooden surface of the dinner table, "Bumi, I can tell when you are lying."

"Just because someone's heart rate picks up, does not mean that they are lying, Pops."

The Avatar's brow rose, "You expect us to believe that it was your nine year old brother who threw fruit pies at the Acolytes, stole their robes off the clothesline while they dried, and trapped a lemur within the female's compound?"

"Well, why not?!"

"Because, Bumi," Katara's voice was becoming exasperated, having had similar conversations with her son before, "The Acolytes saw you do these things. I doubt they would lie about who it was pulling these pranks on them."

"That's not what this is about at all."

His mother looked curiously at him, yet it was slightly hesitant as she heard a deep set anger in his voice, "Then, what is this about?"

"Favoritism."

Katara rolled her eyes at that. scoffing quietly as she crossed her arms, "Bumi, now you are just being ridiculous."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes," She enunciated the word smoothly, shaking her head as she looked at her husband, "I believe his punishment just went from two weeks to three weeks."

Aang nodded slowly, though his stormy grey eyes held a sadness that she was well accustomed to when it came to their middle son. Bumi had just struck a cord.

When Bumi was a child, everyone had expected him to be an airbender. He had Aang's dark hair and his big grey eyes, and despite his tanned skin, his features matched those of the Air Nomads that had lived well before him.

Birthdays passed, not a single puff of air had found its way from the contours of his palm. He was an extremely active child, so he quickly took up to learning the ways of the sword, becoming extremely agile quickly. He had just turned thirteen, and was now labeled as a nonbender by the public.

He could hear them whisper venomously behind his back as he walked through the streets of Republic City. They all remarked on how unfortunate it was that such a talented man had fathered such a wild child of a son. He didn't do well at the Academy, his grades not nearly as high as his sister's and the headmaster's office was practically his home away from home. He wasn't very bright, yet he made up for that in skill and tactic. He loved the thought of battle, and he always dreamed of becoming a strategist one day in the United Forces. But the chances of that happening were slim to none.

Bumi hadn't been bothered with the fact of being a nonbender until Tenzin had come along, the little cue ball as serious as an old master and nearly as wise as one too. He was a killjoy, and as quiet as the wind he was able to manipulate with the pale expanse of his hands. That's when Bumi noticed it.

His parents had less and less time for him. Even his mother, who had already spent multiple hours a day on his sister's waterbending training, had stopped spending as much time with her as well. She wanted to see her son progress in something that was about to be deemed a dying art. His father, of course, was overjoyed with Tenzin's show of abilities and had made it very evident how proud he was of his son by throwing himself into full master mode in order to train his son as quickly as possible.

Bumi wasn't a very jealous person, but he couldn't deny the fact that it hurt him to see the pity that was evident in their eyes when they sometimes looked at him.

"The thing about it is, neither of you try and deny it."

Aang was now growing frustrated of his son's accusations, "Bumi, this has nothing to do with favoritism. This is about how you are always disobeying us and stirring up mischief everywhere you go! The Acolytes saw you do it! Yet, here you stand and lie to us as if you knew nothing about it and are trying to put the blame on your younger brother!"

"Because he was there! He threw fruit pies that day and helped me catch the lemur!"

"But did he do those things willingly, or because you threatened him," Katara's brow rose as she looked accusingly over at her son, all their plates long forgotten as they watched the argument going on in front of them. The tension in the room continued to thicken as silence consumed it.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," The Avatar remarked sternly, his usual carefree personality diminishing as he reprimanded the teenaged boy for his behavior, "You can't treat people like that, Bumi."

"Everyone else seems to love to blame me and make me do stuff, yet no one ever cares unless it's the little cueball!"

"Bumi," Katara seethed through gritted teeth, trying her best to keep her voice even, "Stop making those accusations! What is wrong with you?!"

"I'm a nonbender!"

The room went silent, no one quite knowing what to say to his exclamation. They had all acknowledged that at some time prior, but Bumi had never just come out and said it so bluntly.

"Bumi," Aang sighed as he looked up at his son sadly, but he was met with a stony glare from his usually perky son.

"No, Dad," Bumi's voice matched his hardened stare as it lowered to the point of desperation, "We all know it's true. That is what's wrong with me. That's why I pull pranks, right? To get my parent's attention?"

"We never said that," His mother answered softly, heart clenching at the pain evident on his face.

"You didn't have to."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Kya spoke up for the first time during the argument.

"Bumi, you are being ridiculous."

Her younger brother glared across the table at her, "I'm being ridiculous? Says the girl who was just complaining a few days ago about how much you hate being a waterbender."

Kya's brows furrowed, though her cheeks began to flush at the accusation, "I didn't say it like that."

"Well then I'm sorry that I misinterpreted the statement 'I wish I was an airbender,' when we were watching Tenzin practice."

The teenage waterbender sighed, "Bumi, I'm not starting anything with you."

"But you do agree with me."

Kya hesitated a moment, before she turned her gaze back to her plate. She hated conflict and wasn't planning on getting in on the argument that was taking place.

"Think about it, Kya," Bumi's voice continued to rise as he pointed a finger at his older sister, "You were the favorite before Tenzin was born. You were the prodigy. Even though you weren't an airbender, everyone loved you. Now, you are trying to tell me, that in recent years that hasn't changed a bit?"

"Bumi, stop."

"Not being Daddy's little princess anymore doesn't hurt?"

"Bumi, shut up," Kya was seething now, an uncharacteristic anger appearing as she glared with cold blue eyes at the young man standing across the table from her.

"It doesn't bug you that Mom has been paying less and less attention to your bending?"

"Bumi, just stop."

"The fact that people whisper about us behind our backs when we walk down the streets because of everything we aren't?!"

"Bumi!"

"Deny it all you want, Sis," Bumi hissed the last part, shaking his head slowly, "But we all know that's how it is. Everyone in the world thinks we're disappointments for everything we can't be. They treat it like it's our fault that we can't bring back the airbenders. If you are trying to say that you have never seen it that way, than you are lying, Kya."

His sister kept her mouth shut, but she shook her head defiantly. It didn't escape Aang's notice though that her heart rate increased.

She was lying.

"I'm not hungry anymore," With that, Bumi walked through the dining hall's doors and down the hall where he went to his room, sliding the door shut with great force.

The whole table settled into an awkward silence. Aang and Katara looked at each other sadly, the evidence of anger completely disappearing from their faces.

They had suspected they would have to deal with this matter sooner or later. Once they knew Bumi was a nonbender with two bending siblings, they figured it would only be a matter of time before he brought it up.

"May I be excused?"

Kya's voice was unusually shaky as she looked up at her parents with tears in her eyes. When they both nodded, she bolted from the room and out the front door.

The Avatar sighed deeply, patting his wife's shaking hand that lay on the table as he stood from his seat, "I'll go talk to her."

Katara nodded as she too stood, "I'm going to go talk to him."

Both parents left the room, dinner forgotten and their kids on the forefront of their minds.

Tenzin sat quietly still, light eyes glued to the plate in front of him that was full. From afar, he looked as if he was in a meditative state, the lines of his face drawn calmly as the wind from the open window gently ruffled his robes.

Only then did a warm tear slide down the side of his cheek, not a sound escaping him.

What was the point of being given the honor of such a great gift, when you couldn't even be proud of it?


End file.
